Ripped Fate
by radical nyx
Summary: It was suppose to a family reunion with their grandparents. A week full of joy and laughter that was transformed into an ominous adventure. Two children must travel through the world of the spirits for their mother's memories, so she won't forget herself.


Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away, or any characters in Spirited Away, but I do own a few original characters that will be introduced in the story. This is my first fanfic, so please comment, rate, enjoy, flame, critique, whatever you like, just be nice about it. Oh, just an F.Y.I, the demons, spirits, and gods that appear in the story are from research that was not very thorough, or complete. If the is a mistake in the information that I typed up, please correct me. Thank you, and enjoy! ^.^

* * *

In the moonlight I felt your heart

quiver like a bow string's pulse

in the moon's pale light

you looked at me

Nobody knows your heart

when the sun has gone I see you

beautiful and haunting but cold

like the blade of a knife so sharp so sweet

nobody knows your heart

All of your sorrow, grief and pain

locked away in the forest of the night

Your secret heart belongs to the world

of the things that sigh in the dark

of the things that cry in the dark.

-Sasha Lazard

* * *

How did it all end up like this? How could a place like this come under _his_ control? How did he improve should a glorious place? Rin shook her head, her brown hair wiped behind her. Personally, she was not surprised, but he was here for far longer than she thought he was going to be. Ever since Se- "The Incident," the middle-aged woman thought _he_ would have left to go to _her._ How long has it been since that event? She let out a soft sigh as she stood in the elevator, waiting to see her boss, to see the boss of the whole bathhouse. It such a tedious task to go all the blasted way up to the top of the bathhouse to see him, but the she needed to know a few things that were beyond extremely important. Clenching her pale, calloused hands, Rin tried to keep her hot temper from being released on the

Everything has change since _he _got control of the bathhouse of the spirits. There were fewer complaints, less trouble, more money for the workers, more time off; everything improved in the spa of the spirits, everything but _him_. Rin's brown eye gazed at the meter above the elevator's door, wishing for it to move faster. The woman was not in the mood to postpone this talk; she, as well as all of the workers in the house, have not talked about "that day" for over three years. This was getting ridiculous; the girl might was well wait for a meteor shower with the way he was making her wait. The assistant could no longer wait to talk to her boss about the past. She needed to talk to him, and she was going to talk to him now, whether the idiot wanted to talk about it or not.

When the golden arrow reached the highest number on the dial, the ancient red elevator jerked to a quick stop. The assistant stumbled to regain her balance. "Stupid machine!" Rin screeched as she kicked the pasty wall, "I really need to talk to him about that. It is just plain absurd that these things are not improved." The doors squeaked open, and she stomped out the tiny space towards the golden doors. Her gigantic feet slapped the wooded floor, sending shocks of pain up her leg. Her quivering hand reached for the handle, but she pulled back before she touched the cold metal. Rin needed to cool down; being anger was not a great emotion to have when talking to him, especial the touchy subject as _her_. Taking a deep breath in, the elder woman tried, and failed, to calm herself down. But it just plain annoyed her that he has not left for the girl he promised to see again. Did he really believe that she would wait for three years for him, more or less, a life time for him? Then again, he was the happiest when he was around her, and she with him.

Memories crept into Rin's mind, reminding her of the trouble the young girl got her into. It was worth it though; every little event was worth it, but now was not the time to reminisce on the affairs of the precedent. The motherly assistant needed to focus on why she waiting the antique, broken-down lift for a life time. The boss needed to inform his assistant his reasons why he has not abandon the bathhouse for the girl of his dreams. None of is made any sense to her. Rin pounded on the gigantic door of her boss's office. It was once Yu-Baaba's office, but since the events of three years ago, she hasn't been back to the bathhouse along with Bou. Rin shook her head once again, letting the lose pieces of chocolate hair brush her bare neck. She need not worry about the hag and her boy; they could handle themselves, but her boss… he was another story.

After waiting a few seconds, Rin banged on the exhaustive door, grinding her teeth. "You better let me in now, dragon, or else there will be hell to pay!" she yelled. This was no time to be nice to him; the woman had waited for three years for him to go off and find Chihiro, and live happily ever after, like everyone in the bathhouse believed. Glaring at the object between her and the boy, she roared once again, "You have three seconds to open this door Haku, or there will be trouble. One." She took a breath in, hoping the door would open. "Two…Three!" With as much strength as Rin could muster, the assistant charged at the door.

Before thrusting her shoulder into the door, it was flung open. Her brown eyes widened in fear, and confusion as Rin could not stop her momentum. Her off-white socks could not grip on wooden floor, so the older assistant skated into the one of the many rooms of the office and into the next and into the next and the next. Pictures flew pass her as the woman continued to slide from one room to the next. Her legs were unstable as they continued to be flung around in hopes that she would stop moving. This was not how she wanted to enter Haku's office. Her entrance was something close to what Sen would do. _That klutz_, Rin thought as she reached her boss' door to his office.

The door in front of her uncontrollable body creped opened, like every other door in the maze of rooms. The new apprentice could see the maroon carpet as she continued to slide on the smooth surface. Upon meet the divider that separated the carpet from the wood, Rin tripped, and somersaulted into the practically empty room. Her head hit the floor with a _thud__He just had to use magic, the bastard_, she irritably noted. Turning her head towards the desk, Rin rose off the ground, and tramped over to the detailed maple desk. There he was, writing away like he always does with his green eyes glued on whatever he was signing. before rolling onto her butt. Growling, the woman rubbed the back of her head as her coffee eyes glared at the fire place a few feet away from her.

As she opened her mouth to yell at the river dragon, Haku delicately spoke, "There is no need to yell at me, Rin. I know why you are here, and I am not going to justify my reasons for staying in the Spirit World, nor do I have to. I run this bathhouse now. End of discussion."

Though the teenaged looking boy spoke softly, Rin felt a chill run up her spine. There seemed to be hiding anger behind those words, it frightened her. Taking a glop of air, the assistant slammed her fist right in front of the paper that seemed so important to the new ruler of the bathhouse. Now was the time to let her resentment, and irritation that has been building for the last three years, out on the boy.

"No. Haku, we need to talk about this now," she declared, "Why haven't you left to go find Sen? You have been release of Ya-Baaba's power for three years now. Three years she has been waiting for you, you know? And here you are, acting like she doesn't matter to you, which everyone in the house knows that is not true. It is not fair for her to be waiting on you for this long. For all you know, she could have found someone else she-"

"Do you know what the time difference between the spirit world and the human world, Rin?" Haku questioned his assistant. His voice sounded strained, like it hurt for him to talk. "For every year that passes here in the spirit world, nine years passes in the human world." -Rin let out a grasp before placing her pale hands over her mouth- "Meaning, twenty-seven years has pasted since Chihiro has visited the spirit world. Twenty-seven years, Rin. Do you really think she would wait that long for me, more or less nine?"His voice sounded so defeated, as if he had giving up on his love for the past three years.

Rin was speechless for once. She did not know the answer that question. She sincerely did not know the answer. Biting her lower lip, the woman's gaze became downfallen, pitying the boy now. She had no idea that there was a time difference between the two worlds. No one ever discussed the other world; it just was not part of normal conversation. Only the important spirits chattered about the human world simply because they interacted with the human world. "I don't know Haku. I really don't know, but from what I remember about the Sen from three years ago, I think she would wait for quite some time," Rin bit her tongue as the last past slipped from her mouth.

Her boss' eyes did not rise, or become distracted from the paper in front of him. It terrified her that he just stared at the piece of paper. It seemed like all his emotions were absent from his being, emotionless like. "Do you really think so Rin?" Haku whispered once again, trying to choke down the pain.

Shock could not describe the magnitude of her emotions at that moment. How could he just give up on Sen? Did he not help her escaped from Yu-Baaba, and save her parents? Bowing her head, brown strains on hair covered her face while her fist trembled on the desk. Questions popped into her head one by one. They loved each other; Kamaji declared that on several occasions, so why was that not enough?

Not once did he look up at Rin, but she did not blame him. She had no idea what he was going through. "Is there anything else you need, Rin?" he asked politely with a quivering voice. This was not the Haku from three years ago. This ancient boy has emotions, he cared, he remembered.

Placing a fake grin on her face before raising her head, the assistant said, "You need to upgrade the lifts. They creak, shake, and rumble all the time. They are pieces of crap now a days. The customers complain all the time about that. Maybe lube them more, or just get new ones, but the installations might take a while though. We might have to shut down the bathhouse just to replace them."

The chuckle that came from her boss' mouth calmed Rin down a bit. "I will get right on that, Rin, if that makes you happy."

"You bet it is going to make me happy, dragon, and you better do it quickly," she retorted obstinately. Kami, she wanted to ask if he was fine, but she already knew the answer to that. If Chihiro did not wait for him, Rin did not think he could handle such a thing.


End file.
